If It Bleeds

Charles “Chuck” Krantz is the protagonist and central perspective character of “The Life of Chuck.” Stephen King uses Chuck’s narrative to explore the challenge of Overcoming the Fear of Death by framing the events of his life in the context of his early death. This generates thematic tension as it raises the question of whether anything in Chuck’s life could be considered meaningful when his death is a guaranteed outcome. King echoes this tension at the very end of the novella, revealing that Chuck experienced a vision of his death during his early adulthood. Aware of what will happen to him, Chuck is emboldened to live a wonderful life.

Chuck has a natural talent and passion for dancing, which he inherits from his grandmother, Sarah. After Chuck joins Twirlers and Spinners, he feels most alive when he is dancing. The group challenges him to overcome his fear of being ridiculed for his height and encourages him to dance with various partners, which makes him popular at the Fall Fling. The reason he chooses not to pursue his passion for dance as a career is that he is content with preserving its magic as an occasional hobby, rather than as a lifelong dream. He chooses not to continue dancing with Cat because the first dance went so well that he is afraid of ruining it if they dance a second time. When he meets Jared and Janice, the urge to dance comes to him, spurred by good feelings and memories. Jared gives Chuck the opportunity to continue dancing, but Chuck refuses because one dance is enough for him.

Chuck becomes an accountant for the Midwest Trust bank. He marries a woman named Ginny, with whom he has one son, Brian. Chuck frequently hides details about his past from them, not to deceive them, but to maintain a sense of richness in his life. As he is dying of glioblastoma, Chuck tells Ginny the real story of how he got the scar on his hand, having told her for many years that he had gotten it from a fight with a bully. Like his dance with Jared and Janice, the real story of how he got the scar is part of a larger story that is too rich for him to tell.

Holly Gibney is the protagonist of the novella “If It Bleeds.” She is introduced through a voice diary she sends to her friend Detective Ralph Anderson, warning him about the case she is investigating. King uses this introduction to create a sense of danger and heighten the stakes of the adventure the reader is entering.

Holly is a private detective at the Finders Keepers agency, which she founded with her late professional partner, Bill Hodges. Holly is still grieving the death of Bill, which she frequently expresses in private by telling Bill she misses him. Holly works together with Bill’s former police partner, Pete Huntley, and Bill’s old neighbor, a college student named Jerome Robinson. Together with Jerome’s sister, Barbara, and their mother, Tanya, they form the support system and inner circle of Holly’s life, helping her to feel loved and cared for in her solitary adult life.

Holly’s characteristic anxiety person stems from her fraught relationship with her mother, Charlotte. Charlotte often berates Holly for her absence or her failure to show up whenever she needs her. By talking about this relationship in therapy, Holly has come to recognize that her mother emotionally manipulates her as a form of control. During the novella, Holly tries to grow out of this dynamic by standing up to her mother and subverting her manipulation. Holly is also sympathetic to her uncle, Henry, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Whenever Henry mistakes Holly for her late cousin, Janey, Holly is reminded of the feeling that she isn’t wanted at home.

Holly is also obsessive, which allows her to uncover the truth about Chet Ondowsky. By fixating on the details of his appearance on television, Holly develops the theory that Chet is similar to a shapeshifting entity she previously fought called the outsider. Holly uses her connection to Dr. Carl Morton to seek out other outsiders, which points to her willingness to leverage her personal experience to satisfy her obsessive tendencies.